Windows 7 - Laptop hard drive runs for 3 seconds, stops, and causes freezing

I've looked all over for help but alas; nothing.

Put simply, I'm using a decent Lenovo B560 laptop, and when playing games or running programs linked to the hard drive disk, it freezes intermittently.

Not sure what's causing it, but the whirring of the disk drive can be heard for about 3 seconds, at which point it slows down, and then the game freezes until the hard drive starts whirring again. It doesn't seem to be able to keep itself running in order to keep playback fluid; it just keeps spinning long enough to power 3-4 seconds of playback.

Any ideas?

System is 7 64 bit, with Intel Core i5 CPU M480 @
2.67GHz
3GB RAM

Normally when a disk is making noise it's going to quiet soon. I would make a backup of what ever you want to save.
You can run a disk check up.
Computer and pick what drive you want to check and right click on it. Pick tools and check/disk. On my computers I do it the simple way. If a hard disk is making unusual noises I replace it. First save what you can before it quiets completely.